INSIDE CITY HALL Here are some of...

INSIDE CITY HALL

Here are some of the issues the council discussed Monday.

IDENTIFYING RECREATIONAL USES

The council directed staff to study whether 11 publicly owned parcels can be developed for recreational uses.

Council members said they want to know if the land, owned by

school districts and other government agencies, presents viable spots

for fields and parks in case it becomes available to buy or lease

long-term.

The Parks and Recreation Commission preliminarily considered

whether eight sites should be explored further. The council added

three more school sites: Parsons-Waldorf, the property housing Monte

Vista and Back Bay high schools and the former Balearic school site.

Councilwoman Katrina Foley had suggested staff members take a more

comprehensive look at all elementary schools in the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District. But this suggestion did not garner enough

support from the entire council. During her report at the end of the

meeting, Foley asked Parks and Recreation to take inventory of all

the elementary school sites that could be used for recreational uses.

WHAT IT MEANS

Staff members will study the 11 sites.

WHAT WAS SAID

“I don’t understand why we wouldn’t want to have a wide net,”

Foley said. “If we did it all at once, it would be more

comprehensive. Almost all elementary schools have the same model. I

don’t think it’s that much work. I could probably get [the

information] myself.”

CANCELLATION OF MEETINGS

The council canceled the second council and Planning Commission

meetings in December because of the holiday season. The council also

directed staff to bring back a proposed law or council policy that

would make this cancellation permanent.

Typically, key policy issues are not brought to the council by

staff members during the holiday season, and the Planning Commission

does not have any pending applications for its second meeting this

month.

WHAT IT MEANS

The council and commission will not hold their second meetings

this month.

SALARY INCREASE

The council gave final approval of a law that increases council

members’ salaries by 15%. This increase will start after the new

council is seated in 2006. It raises council members’ salaries from

$828 to $952 per month.

The first reading of the law was on Nov. 15. Councilman Allan

Mansoor dissented on both occasions.

WHAT IT MEANS

Starting in December 2006, council members will bring home more

dough.

GENERAL-PLAN CHANGE REQUEST

The council rejected a proposed change to the general plan

requested by Tim Johnson, the architect representing property owner

Sean Newton, to increase the density of a property on Canyon Drive.

The increased density would have allowed four residences on the

property instead of three. The property is only 122 square feet short

of the amount needed to allow four units without having to change the

general plan. It’s 13,398 square feet, and it needs to be 14,520.

Planning staff members recommended rejecting the request because

the proposal did not meet any of the criteria for allowing a change.

If a change had been approved, it would have only applied to this one

parcel and would have resulted in an inconsistent use compared with

neighboring properties.

Mayor Gary Monahan dissented. He thought it was unfair to deny the

change, because the property is so close to being large enough for

four units.

WHAT IT MEANS

The property owner will not be allowed to build four residential

units on the property.

WHAT WAS SAID

“Why have a City Council if we can’t bend the rules?” Monahan

said. “If we didn’t have authority, what are we doing here? Then we

just make rules and let staff make all the decisions.”

“My heart goes out to you,” Monahan added directly to Johnson.